Hide and Seek
by livezinshadowz
Summary: One-shot, set during timeskip. Shino is used to being able to find anybody, given time. Now he's playing a game with a more skilled opponent, but neither are really playing to win. Shino/Fū.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Naruto._

Kurenai and her team – though they're all Chūnin now, so how appropriately that label still applies is debatable in Shino's eyes – follow their guide through one of Takigakure's many secret entrances. Shino raises an arm to protect his head from the downpour of one of the Hidden Waterfall's many namesakes as they enter the village proper.

Their mission is a simple diplomatic one. Takigakure is formally Konoha's ally, though that means little in the world of shinobi; the invasion by Sand and Sound, despite being over a year old, is still fresh in everyone's minds. But the Hidden Waterfall touts the honor of being uninvaded ever since its founding, and there's something to be said for having an alliance with a nation who can boast that. It helps that Team 7's excursion to and defense of the village prior to Uchiha Sasuke's defection boosted Konoha's image in the eyes of Taki's citizens.

Now, with Naruto gone on his training trip with Jiraiya, it's up to another squad to continue the relationship.

Their guide leads them through a hazy shroud of golden-orange powder; Shino frowns behind his collar as they do so. His kikaichū, the parasitic insects that Aburame clan members host and use in battle, are suddenly buzzing within his body, though he senses no threat nearby. A brief analysis of his hive shows that only the males are affected, and that the powder contains some sort of pheromone that has thrown off their senses. "What did we just walk through?" he asks their guide, his usual monotone smooth and deep.

Everyone turns to look at him. "Eh?" Kiba asks, raising an eyebrow. "What're ya talkin' about, Shino?"

"There is a shroud of some substance covering the entrance of the cave."

His teammates all look confused, but the Taki-nin leading them laughs disarmingly. "Oh, you can see that, huh? Well, it's nothing to worry about…just a little added protection the Elders insisted on putting in to keep track of any visitors we get. It's harmless."

"We have nothing to hide," Kurenai states. "We're here to promote unity between our villages, after all."

"Of course," reassures the Taki-nin. "Like I said, it's just a precaution, nothing personal."

Shino's brow furrows. It's in the nature of shinobi to be suspicious, and he's pragmatic enough to be even more so than others, but the fact that he is the only one of his team – what with Kiba's enhanced senses of smell and hearing, and Hinata's vision – to be aware of the shroud is curious. Silently, while no one is paying attention to him, the Aburame sends out a number of his kikai to locate the source, males to search and females to make sure the males stay on target.

He hopes they can solve this mystery by the time night rolls around.

-l-l-l-

There are pheromone shrouds at a number of what Shino presumes to be entrances into Takigakure. The kikai have been trying to track down the source all day, but the scent is overwhelming, and it's only as midnight is approaching that they are able to report some modicum of success.

Shino leaves the room his team is staying in with all the natural stealth his clan possesses. Following the directions of his insects, he makes his way to the center of the Hidden Waterfall Village, where an enormous tree grows, its branches spreading out like the gossamer threads of a spider's web. Climbing its trunk, he makes his way up via successive hops upon the boughs, but partway there, the kikai tell him the scent is on the move. Unable to get a solid lock on the target for all the pheromones in the area, he makes one branch his perch and focuses on trying to coordinate his insects.

A kunai at his throat puts him on edge and stops him from making any further plans. "What're you lookin' for, Konoha-nin?" asks someone behind him, tone wary.

Without looking, Shino can tell that his captor is female, probably not much older than he is. Opting for honesty – because he is a foreign shinobi prowling around unknown territory – he says, "My allies were disturbed by a strange presence. I thought it prudent to investigate."

There's a snort behind him. "Yeah, right. I sensed you comin' a mile away-ssu. What do you really want?"

Shino considers himself an intelligent person, and the puzzle pieces click together at the girl's words. "You're the source of the pheromone."

"You can smell it?" asks the girl, surprise clear in her voice.

Shino inclines his head ever-so-slightly, enough to affirm her statement without cutting himself on her kunai. "Yes. How? Because my kikai are sensitive to both chakra and the scents of others insects." As if on cue, the bugs start to crawl up his neck from beneath his collar; normally, the Aburame likes to keep a trump card in reserve, but as he is the one under suspicion by someone considered a nominal ally, he decides that openness is the key to a swift resolution.

The steel at his throat withdraws, allowing Shino to turn around and face his aggressor. Her mint green hair barely tickles her shoulders, an orange clip at the side matching her eyes. A white uniform that reminds the Chūnin somewhat of his former classmate Yamanaka Ino's contrasts her tanned skin, and she totes around a large red, cylindrical burden on her back. "No one's ever been able to see that chakra before…" she says quietly. "And no one here's supposed to tell foreigners about it." She shoots him a strange look that the bug-user can't quite interpret before asking almost hopefully, "You really came lookin' for me-ssu?"

Shino nods. "You seem surprised."

"People aren't supposed to know I exist," she explains. "I guess you could consider me Taki's secret guardian."

"That is…" he pauses to consider his words, unsure what to say. As an Aburame, Shino is all too used to the berth given to his clan because of its abilities. The novelty of being a walking hive of insects carries a sort of unspoken, negative stigma that makes Konoha's citizens wary of interacting with him. "Unfortunate," he settles on. "Why?"

"I'm…" she starts, then shakes her head and begins over, "I'm Fū-ssu." Shino can tell this isn't what she was originally going to say, but he also knows that prying at this stage is more likely to work against him than for him. He pointedly ignores her verbal tic, knowing firsthand how irritating it is to have one's manner of speech called into question.

"Shino," he introduces, then notes, "You did not react fearfully to my kikai."

"Nope!" Fū acknowledges far more cheerfully than she's acted up to this point. "Should I have?"

"Most do." There's a lull in conversation, both shinobi watching the other, before Shino says, "I should depart. Perhaps we will meet again."

"I'll find you-ssu," she agrees.

-l-l-l-

The following evening, Shino is mildly surprised when he's woken by his kikai reacting to the same pheromone as before. Touches of it are still surrounding himself and his teammates, but his hive has spent the day getting used to working around the scent; this fresh dose is overwhelming to them. He hops to the window ledge and looks down, finding Fū standing below with her palm held out, golden-orange chakra swirling in it. When he joins her on the ground, she looks at him curiously. "You really _can_ sense it…"

Shino isn't as offended by the awe – or is it disbelief? – in her voice as he perhaps should be; he isn't a liar, but she's a foreign kunoichi who seems distrustful of people and doesn't know who he is. Some leniency is allowed for these circumstances. "I do not say what I do not mean."

Fū continues to just look at him, and Shino, despite being paid far more attention than he's used to, manages not to fidget. At length, she says, "C'mon," and starts to run away.

Curious, the Aburame follows her. When the surroundings begin to look familiar, Shino realizes that she's leading him back to the giant tree where they met the previous night. He jumps up into the branches and comes to a halt on a large bough where Fū is already perched. "Why are we here?" he asks.

"This is the only place I can go and not be…" she trails off, giving the Leaf Chūnin the idea that she's hiding something, then continues, "a target." There's a brief bout of silence in which Shino wants to ask what that means but can't think of a way to get her to answer when she continues, "From here, everyone looks so small…like ants-ssu. Sometimes I wonder if I should just crush 'em."

Shino frowns behind his collar. "Ants are hard-workers," he states, "and such thoughts could be construed as treasonous."

"You don't understand," she presses. "My life here is _horrible_. I'm protected because of my power, but aside from that, everyone hates me, and they never let me do anything fun-ssu. The people here live with my presence, but only because I watch over them."

The Aburame's frown grows a little deeper, though for an entirely different reason from before. Fū's relationship with her village sounds almost like symbiosis, but a darker version, somewhere between commensalism and parasitism. His clan is in something of a similar position, though he doubts that anyone in Konoha outright _hates_ his family. Digging for more information, he probes, "Did you do something to incite their ire?"

Fū scowls. "It's not me, it's…" She places a hand over her stomach, then shakes her head. "It's not me," she repeats stubbornly.

Everything seems to return to the matter that the green-haired girl is forbidden to speak of, so Shino changes the subject. "How does your chakra work?"

Fū holds out her hand, allowing a swirl of the golden-orange substance to form in her palm. The male kikai within Shino's body buzz with excitement. "My chakra's special. If it touches someone, I can track them wherever they go-ssu. For short periods of time, anyway," she adds on. "No one's ever been able to see it before…"

Shino holds up a finger, where a lone kikai is perched. "My allies are highly-attuned to detect chakra." Beside him, Fū leans forward to get a closer look at the insect, orange eyes speculative and unblinking, and the Konoha-nin is impressed by her interest; aside from other Aburame members, no one – females especially – has ever displayed such curiosity for the bugs the clan uses and studies. Despite her clear reluctance to talk about certain subjects, Shino's estimation of Fū rises. "Their sense of smell is also quite adept."

"So your bugs help you, huh?" Fū asks, seemingly talking more to herself than him. "Do they hurt at all?"

The Aburame considers telling her of the painful-looking infusion ceremony that he's witnessed multiple times – even though he can't recall his own – but then decides against it. She seems to be searching for something, and Shino isn't quite comfortable enough to divulge something this personal. "No," he responds, "the kikai live symbiotically with their hosts."

Fū hums softly, bringing her knees to her chest and rocking slightly to a rhythm that doesn't exist. "I wish I knew what that was like," she whispers.

-l-l-l-

Shino spends every evening of the rest of the week in Fū's company. She's intelligent, observant, and unafraid of him, qualities which he finds appealing in a companion.

Their departure at the week's end almost comes unexpectedly, and Shino feels a touch of disappointment at having to bid his associate farewell. Not only has he yet to figure out the secret she's keeping (and the bug-user doesn't like to leave things unexplained), but his time spent with her reveals that he is perhaps her only acquaintance – dare he go so far as to say friend? – and that is a novel realization. He finds this evidence conclusive when, upon his team's departure, his kikai start to stir, and Shino looks up to find 'see you soon?' written in golden-orange chakra across the sky.

He sends a small amount of kikai out with a response for the Waterfall kunoichi, promising himself to preserve the friendship to the best of his abilities.

It is this thought that prompts him to stay behind after the Hokage's debriefing of his team, earning himself a strange look from Kiba and a shy, almost knowing smile from Hinata. Shino wonders if she has any inkling of his excursions during their visit to Taki, but then shakes off the idea, focusing instead on the task ahead. Tsunade looks up from the report she's grabbed and raises an eyebrow. "I believe you were dismissed, Shino."

"Hokage-sama, I would like to request to become an ambassador to Takigakure."

Tsunade's other eyebrow shoots up; Shino can't really blame her, for the request is an unconventional one, especially so when coming from a member of the reserved, mostly tacit Aburame clan. "Oh?"

Shino inclines his head. "Takigakure is our ally, but our relationship with it is minimized due to its isolationism. I believe that continued exposure to a formal political presence might strengthen this. Why? Because Takigakure appreciates diplomacy, and it would be beneficial to not ostracize those who can aid us, regardless of their status. Even the smallest insect can prove a dangerous threat, should it be provoked." Then he plays his trump card. "You have elected Nara Shikamaru to consort with the shinobi of Sunagakure…spreading such diplomacy would be good policy."

Tsunade taps her finger against the wooden surface of the desk, her expression thoughtful. Honey-colored eyes narrow at him. "And what makes you think you're the optimal person for this position?"

The bug-user adjusts his glasses. "I believe myself to be the best candidate to make a thorough analysis of Takigakure's infrastructure, habits, politics, strengths, weaknesses, and other diplomatically-relevant details. To be succinct, the mission we have just returned from gave me an idea of what to expect from being an envoy to Takigakure."

There's a long moment of thought, and Shino waits patiently as Tsunade's analytical mind proves why she deserves the position of Godaime Hokage. "Very well," she allows at last. "Aburame Shino, I hereby delegate you to be our liaison with Takigakure. You will handle all matters associated with the village and its shinobi, and I expect updates detailing such. Are you agreeable to this?"

Shino bows. "Yes, Hokage-sama. Thank you for your time."

Tsunade dismisses him with a wave of her hand. "I'll send a missive to Takigakure to let them know of this arrangement. Until then, you're dismissed."

-l-l-l-

Shino finds the meetings in the Hidden Waterfall predictably tedious, but he knows that the boredom of listening to politicking is well worth being able to visit the village and spend his evenings with Fū. Still, despite the proceedings, the Aburame keeps careful documentation of Taki's goings-on, knowing that taking on the responsibility of liaison to the Hidden Waterfall was his idea and that his meticulousness is well-reflected in his personnel file.

All that aside, his outings with Fū prove to be enjoyable and informative. He learns about her life and her biases in their time together, cataloguing the information into useful or simply interesting. One day, she sprouts gossamer wings of red- and yellow-orange and flies him past their normal lookout spot high up in the tree, up to a treehouse where Fū shyly admits she lives. The experience of flight is exhilarating, and Shino takes a moment to recover his breath before telling the girl that her home suits her.

He doesn't remark on her strange ability to fly, assuming it's related to the topic she's not allowed to talk about, which they've both silently labeled as taboo. Shino has his suspicions on the subject, but he tactfully doesn't bring them up.

Even with this increased level of trust, it takes months to persuade both Fū and the Hidden Waterfall's leader to come to Konoha for a meeting with the Hokage. They eventually agree, and Shino makes preparations for the small delegation to arrive. The Hidden Waterfall's leader, a young man by the name of Shibuki, goes directly to the Hokage for what Shino is sure will be the start of many diplomatic meetings.

Fū, tasked as part of the defense force (after much begging, she confides in him, and Shino is sure that Shibuki is tagged with her chakra in the same way he is whenever he enters Takigakure) and free for the day while her leader negotiates something political, offers him a timid smile. "New haircut?" she asks.

Shino's mouth twists into a wry grin beneath his heavy jacket. The Aburame clan is crossbreeding a new breed of kikaichū, and the transition phases have prompted the clan to wear even more concealing clothing. A pale green, hooded overcoat covers a lengthy black garb that goes from his nose to the knees of his black pants; sunglasses continue to cover his eyes, though these ones are fuller, leaving only a sliver of his pale face visible. He'll never admit it aloud, but Fū's antics of exaggeration and humorous misdirection amuse him. "Your attempt at wit is noted," he replies.

Fū sighs. "You're no fun to tease, Shino. Are you gonna tell me what's with the new outfit-ssu?"

"New experiment," he answers. "Follow me."

He leads her through Konoha towards the Aburame complex. She's strangely silent during the journey, orange eyes looking around and taking in the sights. Shino wonders if she's enjoying the time away from a village which she claims hates her, or if she's just focusing on where they're walking. Fū brings herself even with him after a moment, whispering hesitantly, "Why's everybody moving away from us-ssu?"

Shino glances to the side in time to find a civilian edge ever-so-slightly away from them. "You have nothing to worry about. Why? Because their caution is directed towards me."

Fū blinks, surprised. "Why? What'd you do?"

Several kikai fly out of Shino's clothes; over the time he's spent with her, they've learned to adapt to her chakra being around. "Nothing. My clan's reputation is widely known. It…unsettles people."

"Even here…" she murmurs. Neither speak again until they reach the Aburame compound, where Shino leads Fū through the buildings and into the forested area in back. "What're we doin' here, Shino?"

"A different experiment." A number of kikai fly out and begin to approach Fū. "Do not fear," he cautions, "they will not harm you."

"I'm not afraid." The insects land on her and begin to nestle into her clothes; one crawls along the curve of her neck before disappearing into the red container she always carries around, and Fū giggles lightly. "That tickles-ssu."

"Hide, and I will try to seek you."

One of the things he's discovered about the Taki-nin is that she's always interested in playing games, but has no one to do so with. Delighted, she obeys his request, disappearing into the thick foliage of the Aburame grounds. Shino gives her a minute to get ahead of him before sending out his swarm, asking them to seek out the females placed on Fū's body. Over the course of their time in the Hidden Waterfall, Shino has begun breeding strains of kikai resilient to the pheromone emitted in the green-haired girl's chakra; now is the time to see if his results have borne fruit.

It takes a long time to locate her, but only because Fū treats the exercise as the game he's posed it as whenever Shino gets too close, moving when his kikai seem to pinpoint her location. When she tires of escaping him, they settle down on opposite sides of a tree, their backs to the trunk. "So, did it work-ssu?" she asks.

"Yes," he affirms. "I can now locate you wherever you are, so long as one of my female kikai remains on you."

"Cool." She crawls over to kneel in front of him, orange eyes sparking with curiosity. After peering at him in silence for a minute, she asks, "How come you're always wearin' glasses?"

"…Light sensitivity."

Fū nods, as if she expected this answer. "Can I see your eyes?"

The question is very personal, and Shino is suddenly aware that no one outside his family has ever expressed this much interest in him, not even his teammates. "…Only if you tell me your secret," he negotiates.

Fū is silent for so long that the Konoha-nin doesn't expect her to honestly answer him. When she does respond, Shino is equal parts intrigued and honored. "This chakra," she begins, holding out a palm and calling the familiar chakra to it, "isn't mine. Well, it is, but not really. It belongs to the Nanabi no Kabutomushi sealed within me, and mixed with mine, it produces the pheromone that your kikai smell-ssu. Using it, I can find anyone that touches it." She turns away from him. "So there…now you know."

"So I do…" Shino agrees. There's a bout of silence, then he prompts in a semi-challenge, "If you would like to know the answer to your question, you can find out."

Fū looks startled, but at Shino's nod, she reaches forward with both hands and removes his glasses. The tree canopy provides enough shade that he can watch her slip his glasses onto her own face, shooting him a tentative grin in the process.

Shino's lips quirk slightly in response, and Fū's grin brightens so much that the bug-user wonders if this is the first true smile she's ever bestowed upon anyone.

-l-l-l-

Shino arrives in Takigakure to find the village wrecked, divots blown out of the ground and trees toppled; the surroundings have taken far too much damage to be written off as the result of training.

He immediately sends his kikai out to search for Fū, then heads off to speak to Shibuki.

The Hidden Waterfall's leader informs him that two people in black cloaks with red clouds arrived and began to attack, demanding the Jinchūriki. _Akatsuki,_ he realizes, having been informed about the organization by the Hokage. Fū drew them off, but Shibuki doesn't know anything about her current status.

Shino's swarm returns at that point, reporting back that there's no sign of the girl within the village. _But we can always find each other,_ he thinks, logic mixed with a tinge of desperation. _It is the nature of our abilities._ His insects note that there is a large source of Fū's chakra hanging in the air around the tree she calls home, and Shino decides to go there to investigate.

Using his insects, Shino tries to determine what has happened, but there's so many layers of golden-orange chakra that he can't discern any details from a cursory inspection. He tells the kikai to trace the freshest patterns, and his hive obeys, rising into the air and forming into what Shino can now deduce to be kanji written in Fū's chakra.

He reads the message once, twice, three times, knowing that it's been left for him, the only person who can see her chakra. Shino turns and departs the village at top speed, hoping to be able to do something even as his logic calmly informs him that it's too late. It's the first time that he thinks to disobey his mission directives and do something more characteristic of Kiba or Naruto or Rock Lee, and he suddenly understands the strange butterflies in his stomach and how he finds Fū's idiosyncrasies so endearing.

Written in the sky is the simple phrase _'I love you'_, and Shino swears to search for her until his kikai are too exhausted to fly and his body is too tired to keep moving, because no one else has a better chance of finding her than he does.

-l-l-l-

**Author's Note:** I wrote this months ago, but decided to post it now to fill the gap while I edit The Cost of Living before posting the last part. This has been edited just slightly to reflect a mixture of Fū's personality as depicted in the anime and her apparent hatred for humanity (as mentioned by Deidara), but more serves as practice for something in the future.

Loosely inspired by The Summer Set song _Can You Find Me?_ Feel free to let me know what you think.


End file.
